


of sticks, sand and shore

by latticejaemjen



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, Teacher Jaemin, architect jeno, idk why it keeps on auto-capitalizing the previews tag, just a newlywed couple on a honeymoon and all that shit I can never have
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:06:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29291829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/latticejaemjen/pseuds/latticejaemjen
Summary: "Why bother decorating it? they're just gonna be erased again by the water.""At least the waves know how we were once here."just jaemin and jeno celebrating their honeymoon on a resort far away from the bustling city.
Relationships: Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	of sticks, sand and shore

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is dedicated to my little bro Red (@Jwirassicpwark) and to everyone who'll read, please enjoy. I had fun writing this after months of not writing at all. 
> 
> also listen to More Than Words by Extreme. it's the backbone of this work.

The sound of an indie band playing on a nearby bar near the sea can still be heard from beyond the rocks. The voices resonate well and one can feel how the waters sing along too on the rhythm. The sun in its beautiful golden glory sets down slowly after a long day of reigning on the wide sky. A small orange ray gently caresses the small waves like how a mother to her child. Among the big boulders sits two people side by side, one leaning into the others' shoulder while the latter holds a twig in his hand. On a passerby's view, they might just look like the best of friends.

"Jeno, do you wanna go back to the cottage? It's almost supper time," the blue-haired lad softly speaks. He slowly shifted his weight so he could face the older one, a kind loving smile plastered on his pretty face. 

"Ten more minutes Jaemin."

Jeno just wrapped his arms on the younger's waist, his head still resting on Jaemin's shoulder. His eyes closed and just feels the warmth of his husband and the sea breeze that sometimes sends goosebumps on his uneven toned arms. 

Jaemin sighs and starts humming a familiar tune Jeno couldn't quite place his finger on but honestly who cares? Jaemin's voice is a healing for his soul. Jeno eyes the ring on Jaemin's finger. It was etched with intricate rose markings with little sardonyx stones placed neatly too.

"Do you think I should've given you a diamond ring instead?" Jeno asks.

"I really think it's pretty and very thoughtful of you baby. I would've never thought of using my birthstone as part of my wedding ring and yet here you are making it theoretically possible."

_ Thoughtful. _

"You really think so?" Jeno follows up, still persistent. Jaemin silently coos at the sight of his husband looking like a curious puppy full of questions. He hums in response and leans in to place a chaste kiss on Jeno's soft lips.

It was quiet once more. Just the sea waves crashing on the rocks, a glimmer of dark purple and orange hues reflecting on the waters and the occasional sound of seagulls hovering above and finally resting atop a yacht's stern. 

Neither do Jaemin and Jeno imagined their married life to be like this. They're still pretty much on the start but never have they even thought of being married to each other. Mark begs to differ though, the moment he sees the two hang out in the music room, Jeno's head resting peacefully on Jaemin's lap while the other plays on what seemed like Satie's Gymnopedie No. 1, he knows something is definitely on. Something that will surely go on for long. Jeno is a quiet homebody that runs on mathematical equations and sad romantic movies to ease his life as an architecture student. Meanwhile Jaemin was extremely popular in the Education department—on the whole university. 

"He was bursting with candy hearts and marshmallows," says Chenle. 

He was really friendly and his smile— _ oh that pretty smile one will take a bullet just to protect it.  _ Despite the deadlines and non stop outlining of lesson plans, Jaemin was always there to make people happy.

And Jeno was not an exception.

They met during the spring of their third year in college. Both were busy for the school festival where they plan to showcase their department to appeal for incoming freshmen. It was a competitive day for all of them but it was rather fun and a breath of fresh air outside the steaming pile of schoolworks.

Jeno was on top of the school building trying to recharge after spending all his energy handing out fliers only to see it folded into paper airplanes an hour later at a nearby booth of the Film Department. His heart sinks a little at the thought of it but he tries not to recall. He unwraps his old guitar from its case and thinks of a few songs that he can play. The day is about to end and everybody must be wrapping things out down there.  _ Mark can take care of it for me. I can apologize later to him anyways. _

Jeno crouches down as he closes his eyes and leans comfortably on the wall. He starts to strum and sings to his heart's content.

"I prefer Westlife's version," a low voice speaks from behind the stacks of chairs. Jeno stops abruptly, his neck snapping from side to side looking for the owner of the voice.

"Both versions sound pretty for me," Jeno responds, enough to be heard by the other from nearby.

"I guess so but I'll still go with Westlife's."

Jeno rests easy once more and starts to strum the same song he played earlier. Maybe being with someone else's company doesn't hurt as much as he thought it would. It was pretty calming and serene.

_ What would you do _

_ If my heart was torn in two _

_ More than words to show you feel _

_ That your love for me is real _

_ What would you say _

_ If I took those words away _

_ Then you couldn't make things new _

_ Just by saying "I love you" _

Jeno hears a shuffle and sees a pink-haired boy walk to his way. His uniform is all unbuttoned and a pastel blue department shirt beneath it. He has a kind smile that Jeno has always seen even from before, his hair a little ruffled but looks good on him regardless and his hands on both pockets.

"As I thought, a pretty boy with a pretty voice," he says, sitting down next to him but enough to keep a small distance from each other. Jeno flushes on his place, a tint of red like a cardinal spreads on his cheeks and ears.

"Thanks?"

The seemingly younger boy lets a soft chuckle, one that Jeno thinks he might need to hear at least once in a day. 

"Your name?" he asks, facing Jeno still with a huge smile.

"Jeno. Lee Jeno," Jeno extends his right arm in an attempt for a handshake to which the other gladly accepts.

"I'm Jaemin," he says, his aura beaming with morning sunshine and everything good in this world. He shakes Jeno's hands fervently leaving a ghost of its touch on Jeno's slightly shaky palms.

"I know. The whole school knows you."

"Are your hands always this cold Jeno?" Jaemin questions out of the blue. Jeno retorts his hand quickly and goes back to hold the neck of his guitar.

"Well not always. Only if I'm nervous or something of the sort," Jeno tries to reason out.

"So you're nervous right now?"

"No."

Jaemin bursts into fits of laughter and Jeno looks at him, wondering why.  _ Is there anything remotely funny?  _ He watches Jaemin laugh and for a moment he thought he looked really pretty like when he reeks of anything bubbly reminds him of sakuras and that one scarlet rosemallow flower placed near his window that gives life and colour in his room. Jaemin is spring personified.

"You're not one to lie about what you feel, aren't you?" Jaemin says cheekily.

Jeno scrunches his face and purses his lips together. _Think Jeno think._

"Oh! This is Meioh," Jeno shows the younger his guitar clearly trying to avoid the question thrown at him. It was rather old based on the scratches seen from here and there. Worn out stickers of cats, loose doodles of a happy face with a mole on the right and a puppy drawn with permanent marker and a signature are also there. The instrument seemed to look like a veteran when it comes to witnessing different events that happened on the course of Jeno's life. It has a lot of stories to tell.

"You like Neptune?"

Jeno giggles softly and nods his head. He was quite surprised that Jaemin knows where he got the reference to name his little stringed friend.  _ Birds of the same feather, perhaps? _

"Play that song again Jeno. It was really good," Jaemin crosses his arms and leans compliantly on the hard concrete behind his back. Jeno hums shortly then continues to start playing the same song. His voice follows suit and sings softly to the melody of the tune. 

It's quite perfect. The sun casts a shadow from behind the stacked chairs where Jaemin alighted from creating a lazy hot summer afternoon aesthetic with all its peachy glory. Jeno's voice compliments the aura so well. He has such a mesmerizing middle tone voice contrasting his low speaking one. It's such a wonderful experience to the both of them

"It takes me back to the time when my mom would fetch me home from kindergarten and gives me strawberry popsicles. I don't even like strawberries but she was so beautiful and handed it to me nicely so I couldn't deny. But one day, she gave me a watermelon one and I was wondering if maybe she knew I never liked them in the first place. I can never understand how love works but I don't want to stress myself furthermore. I just know that it's sweet like the watermelon popsicles with little chocolate balls that look like seeds."

Now Jaemin knows how  _ or not. _

Sure he didn't see it coming or rather was oblivious, it's rough for Jaemin as an Education major okay—but it came in the form of a freshly dyed blonde hair boy with his locks parted into two and styled neatly. Donned on him was a run down denim pants and a white punchline hoodie that he's wearing a little too much on the past month. Meioh is carried with the utmost care on his back, two coffee takeouts on his right hand and some loose pile of freehand sketches on the left. Jeno also has it rough, you can tell on the two bags hanging under his eyes.

"A penny for your thoughts Teacher Na?" Jeno snaps Jaemin from staring at him.

"Your hair, can I touch it?" Jaemin asks and extends his hands. The older sits down beside him, plopping down his rejected drawings and the iced coffee that no longer has ice anymore. He leans in to Jaemin's waiting hands and the other proceeds to brush his dainty hands on it, stroking every locks. 

"Pretty."

"Just like you."

Jeno was and is still the best thing that has happened to Jaemin's life. It was a rollercoaster ride full of pinings that seemed to never end. There were heartbreaks too. It wasn't as perfect as they both thought.

"Why bother decorating it? They're just gonna be erased again by the water," Jeno asks, breaking the silence. Anything that's left of the dusk disappears and a night sky with the moon and a blanket of stars envelops everything it manages to touch. Jaemin has written his and Jeno's initials on a sand with a big heart encircling it with little more hearts around surrounding it.  _ Very Jaemin like, Jeno thinks. _

Jaemin drops the twig below his feet and faces Jeno hugging the older's slim and toned waist securely but not tight in his arms. He toys with the wedding ring that glistens faintly under the moonlight with his left thumb.

"At least the waves know how we were once here."

Love for Jaemin was Jeno. The watermelon popsicle that tasted so sweet. Maybe he can never really understand what it meant and how it works. As long as it fits and feels right then it must be it. The sardonyx ring instead of a diamond, settling for a quiet honeymoon instead of an extravagant one, the stories Meioh tells when Jeno sings his heart out when they first met, the choosing to stay on their majors despite being hard, the argument whether to get a samoyed or a golden retriever but ended up owning an axolotl and the choosing to defy the odds just for this very moment. 

Jaemin and Jeno wouldn't have it in any other way. Yesterday and today were all just as perfect as it is. The future might be one as well too who knows. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this. A kudos or a comment will be much appreciated. I love you all.
> 
> ♡,  
> sam


End file.
